Five Things Christ’s Resurrection Accomplished

By Ray Burkholder

May 1, 2024

The bodily resurrection of Christ is fundamental to Christianity. It defines the Christian faith. No one can be a Christian without it, for it is the very core of the gospel! This may sound severe, but saying anything less neglects what the resurrection of Christ accomplished.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”  (1 Cor 15:1-4). 

Why does Christianity depend on the resurrection of Christ? What does it mean for us? Following are five things the resurrection accomplished. 

1. To Declare Christ as the Son of God 

Jesus claimed the ability to raise His own self from the dead.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19).

This is the power of God! He told Israel that the sign that proved He was the Son of God would be His resurrection;

“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt 12:39-40). Jonah came out of the whale alive! 

 Paul also testifies to this resurrection declaration:

"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom 1:4).

If Christ did not resurrect, He was a liar, not the promised Christ, and not God manifest in the flesh. 

He has always been the Son of God, but after the resurrection from the dead He was declared to be the Son of God with power. 

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt 28:18).

2. Payment for Sins

You may be thinking that it was through His death and shed blood that He provided the atonement for sins, and you would be right. However, if He did not resurrect, His death would not mean anything. 

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17).

If there was no resurrection of Christ, then there is no forgiveness of sins because, “The wages of sin is death…” (Rom 6:23). He paid our wages for us to take away our sins. He did the work for us! Hallelujah!  

 Christ’s resurrection not only proved that He was the eternal God and the giver of all life but that His work to pay for sins through His death was sufficient and complete. Without the resurrection, His death would have been a good effort, but it would have been like writing a check without money in the bank. It would bounce. Christ’s resurrection meant the check was cashed! The work was finished! Just as the surgery is not over until the doctor walks out of the surgery room and the cooking is not done until the turkey comes out of the oven, your sins were not paid in full until Christ rose from the dead. 

3. Salvation Offered

Jesus Christ is the Savior. If the Savior is still dead, then how would you know why He died, that He died willingly, or that He died for you? Scripture describes Jesus as a mediator, but if the mediator is dead, then future reconciliation is impossible. 

”For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).

Christ revealed the mystery of the gospel after His resurrection. Christ could only offer free salvation by grace (His work for you) through faith if He had already finished the work and was not dead. If Christ is still dead, then our faith is dead, and so is any hope of salvation.  

"And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (1 Cor 15:14).

The resurrection is a huge issue regarding the gospel and salvation. When asked if they are saved, people commonly respond, “I believe in Jesus.” It is true that salvation is found only in Him.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

While it is true that belief in Jesus is necessary, a person can believe in Jesus and still not be saved. The question is, what do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe He existed?  Do you know what He did for you? For example, Muslims believe in Jesus. He is considered a prophet in the religion of Islam and the Koran. The Hindus believe in Jesus. Historians believe Jesus was a first-century Jew who lived in Galilee. 

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19).  

Do you see times when merely believing in Jesus cannot save you? I spoke to a person a while back, and he commented that a simple belief in Jesus is enough for salvation. Yet, we read:

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor 15:17). 

So, it’s apparent that it’s more than just believing in Jesus. We must also believe/trust in what He did for us. Let’s go to Paul’s gospel to see what he taught. 

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Cor 15:1-4). 

What does the gospel say? It describes what Jesus did at the cross. Yes, we have to believe in Jesus. It is the first step. But we must also believe and trust in what Jesus did for us at Calvary’s cross for salvation. He did everything necessary for salvation for all men. Much confusion comes from people failing to rightly divide. Remember what it says in 1 Cor 15:17, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."  If you don’t know who Jesus is or what He did or fail to trust His finished work at Calvary’s cross, then believing in Jesus cannot save you. 

4. Righteousness Imputed

The resurrection of Christ proves His righteousness. After dying for the sins of the world, if Christ were not perfectly righteous in so doing, He would not deserve to live again. Only by His resurrection can His righteousness be imputed to us. The gospel does not stop with our sins being put on Christ; it must finish with His righteousness being imputed to us by faith. Imputed righteousness is a must for a person to go to heaven. 

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21). 

 Without Christ’s resurrection in righteousness, we could never be justified by faith.

“And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom 4:22-25).

5. Give Power of Eternal Life

 Christ’s bodily resurrection exhibited the power to raise humanity from the dead. The promise of eternal life would be nonsense if the Savior ended His life with death, never to live again. There is no life found in a dead Savior. This is what separates Christianity from other religions. Muhammad never rose from the dead. Neither did Budda. The Lord Jesus Christ did. The Lord Jesus Christ defeated death through His resurrection, alive forevermore, to guarantee eternal life.  

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor 15:55). 

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57). 

It is the power of His resurrection that He offers to us through the gospel. Without the bodily resurrection of Christ, we could not live the Christian life. There would be no life in Christ. Life and immortality were only brought to light at the appearance of Christ after His resurrection.  

“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (2 Tim 1:10). 

Paul reminded Timothy that Christ had abolished death and given eternal life to all who believed the gospel given to Paul. 

Paul said:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”  (Gal 2:20).

Without Christ’s resurrection, we are all dead.   

 Conclusion 

These five things depend on the bodily resurrection of Christ. They must be accomplished to have a reason to worship Christ, preach Christ for salvation, and declare righteousness in Christ or eternal life through Christ. In summary, we would not be Christians unless Christ rose from the dead. It is no coincidence that most of these reasons are found in the epistles where the mystery of Christ is revealed. The first time the word Christian is used is in Acts, after the cross, the work of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and after the apostle Paul was saved.  

“And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

It was Paul who said: 

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8). 

Christianity is not a religion filled with religious followers of a religious figure. The Christian faith rests on the resurrection. Without resurrection power, there is no eternal life! It is by the gospel of the resurrected Christ that we are saved!